Trust Issues
by AngeloftheOdd
Summary: Orochimaru has some problems trusting his loyal medic and his attempt to figure him out will lead to some interesting results... OroKabu/KabuOro. Yes it's yaoi and it's a bit fluffy and lemon-y.
1. Physics

**Trust Issues**

**By AngeloftheOdd**

Kabuto had sent Kimimaro to his death. There really had been no question that the medic's words had been the cause of the boy's actions. It wasn't losing Kimimaro that bothered Orochimaru so much, it was Kabuto's actions. His motives were still so unclear to the snake sennin and this little display of manipulation was certainly vexing. It wasn't as if he had given Kabuto orders to act on the issue of retrieving Sasuke. The more he thought about it, the more he became aware of the fact that his subordinate had been taking a whole lot of initiative as of late. Controling nearly everything while he had barely been able to do the simplest of tasks, his arms useless, his body wracked by pain. Now that he had recovered he was becoming rather irked at Kabuto's whole demeanor. True, he was his right-hand man, but he seemed to have gotten it into that normally rational head of his that they were equals. Orochimaru decided it was time address that arrogance and teach the boy his proper place.

He found Kabuto in his laboratory, busily pouring over notes by candlelight. He looked up from his work, sensing Orochimaru's presence. The expression on his face conveyed that he was curious as to know why his lord was here at such a late hour.

"You should be resting, Lord Orochimaru," he said. "Your soul hasn't completely bonded to..."

"I'm perfectly well, Kabuto," the sennin snapped back, cutting him short. "In fact, I'm feeling better than I have been in quite some time."

"I'm glad to hear that."

He smiled sweetly and Orochimaru felt a pang of anger. Was he being condescending? Why should he be so happy to know that he was back to his usual strength and power? It meant that he wouldn't be taking charge around the Sound Village anymore like he had.

"Are you now, Kabuto?" he said, darkly. "I was starting to get the impression that you enjoyed seeing me helpless. You took many liberties while I was ill."

Kabuto protested, rising to his feet to address his lord.

"But, Lord Orochimaru, I only had your best intentions in mind..."

Orochimaru struck him hard across the face, sending the medic sprawling to the floor.

"How _dare _you proclaim to know what my true interests are, Kabuto. I don't share everything with you for reasons that are my own. You may be intuitive, but don't start thinking that you know me well enough to go behind my back and act on your own."

Kabuto wiped a thin trickle of blood from his lips and bowed his head.

"I apologize, Lord Orochimaru. I was merely trying to help."

"You think I'm so weak as to not command _my_ village, Kabuto? My body may have been in agony but I was able to think clearly enough without your aid."

"But if I hadn't....you wouldn't have...Sasuke _still_ wouldn't have got here in time...and..."

Orochimaru grabbed him by the throat and raised him off his feet. Golden eyes met hazel ones with a predatory gaze.

"Are you questioning my decisions, Kabuto? I could have held out a while longer. Instead you went and provoked Kimimaro into wasting even more time. That was most cruel of you."

He dropped the younger man to the floor.

"He was useless to you, Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto gasped, clutching at his abused throat. "You said as much yourself...."

Orochimaru regarded him with a cold sneer.

"So you felt entitled to dispose of him for me, did you?"

"It was his choice, Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto replied. "He wanted to martyr himself for you."

"Perhaps," the sennin answered, lowering himself to the ground to face his fallen subordinate. "But who put that idea into his head in the first place, hmmmm?"

"I gave him a final purpose...I thought you would have approved..."

"You treat everyone in my village as if they were expendable, Kabuto...what makes you so sure that you aren't as well?"

Kabuto lowered his eyes, unable to face the mocking expression on his lord's face.

"Because I won't ever fail you."

Orochimaru couldn't help but let out a small noise of amusement. He should have expected such an answer from him.

"And _why_ is that, Kabuto?"

"Because you trust me. And as much as you may not realize it, or like to admit it, you need me as well."

The older man pinned his subordinate to the floor and pressed his face dangerously close to the other's.

"Do I now?" he hissed. "That would certainly make me vulnerable, wouldn't it?"

"No, Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto replied, choosing his next words very carefully. "Because I rely on you too..."

The sennin chuckled softly, stroking the younger man's cheek.

"Do you trust me, Kabuto?"

"With my life. How could you even think..."

Orochimaru cut him short with one rapid motion of his hand, producing a kunai from his robe and placing the sharp tip against Kabuto's throat.

"Let's put that to the test, shall we?" the snake sennin replied. "After all you can heal yourself, correct? Do you trust me not to hit anything vital?"

Before Kabuto could respond, Orochimaru drove the blade deep into his right shoulder. He removed it at a painfully slow speed, licking the drops of blood from the cold steel. Oh the sweet scream that had issued from the surprised medic was beyond exquisite. He slit open Kabuto's shirt with one graceful movement, bending his head down to lap at the closing wound he had created. The younger man was moaning softly beneath him. Seeing him in such a submissive state was beginning to excite Orochimaru more than he had anticipated.

"Where next Kabuto, hmmm?" he said, breathing hotly into the medic's ear.

He started trailing little slices down the captive man's stomach with the kunai, eliciting small gasps with each ribbon of blood that surfaced. He traced the tip of the blade back upwards to the medic's chest.

"How about your heart?"

To his shock, Kabuto clasped his hand around his, guiding the blade so that it rested over top of the vital organ. He caught his lord's mouth in a deep kiss.

"You've already pierced it, Lord Orochimaru."

Orochimaru hadn't been expecting that reaction. He knew that both he and Kabuto shared a certain attraction to one another. A rather odd chemistry that often caused heated debates and trivial mind games to dissolve into delirious acts of raw pleasure. But not once had emotion been brought into the equation. Or at least he had thought it hadn't.

"I never would have taken you as one for such melodramatic gestures, Kabuto."

The medic's cheeks flushed slightly, but he didn't move his hand from where it lay.

Orochimaru had little choice but to accept his words as earnest. He would have driven himself mad trying to decipher Kabuto's intentions as anything else but. Yet again, he gave the young man the benefit of the doubt. After all, it wasn't as if he had professed that any such feelings were reciprocated. Still...the thought that Kabuto viewed him in such a manner was empowering. He'd never anticipated that Kabuto, of all people, would be professing such a thing.

"Oh, Kabuto," he said, forcing the boy to look at him. "You're starting to sound as pathetic as Kimimaro."

"There's a subtle difference, my Lord," the medic said, forcing a weak smile. "He was far too eager to die for you. I, in turn, live for you."

"Is that why you've placed a deadly weapon over your chest?" Orochimaru asked, smirking.

'I trust you."

Orochimaru sighed and tossed the kunai aside. It was damning how the medic knew him so well when he could only guess as to what the young man was thinking. He supposed that was in Kabuto's benefit. It was easy to grow bored with people who could be read like open books. One could only care to hear the same story over and over again. Kabuto was continuously surprising him. This latest confession, if he could call it as such, only served to intrigue him further.

He ran his slick wet tongue across Kabuto's face, relishing in the gentle trembling it caused from his captive. He could feel the nearly instant hardness through Kabuto's pants, digging into his thigh. Well, that was one reliable aspect that Orochimaru could _always_ depend on. It was exceedingly simple for the sennin to arouse the boy with barely much coercion. As if he had trained his body to respond to such attention almost instantaneously. Or he was telling the truth and his lord really did have such an erotic effect on him. Orochimaru decided it didn't really matter since the end result was always the same.

"Well well, Kabuto," he said, snaking his hand downwards to brush his fingertips lightly across the bulge. "Is this for me?"

Kabuto parted his lips to answer but only managed a small whimper, squirming under the older man's touch.

Orochimaru grinned sadistically.

"Are you not going to answer me when I address you now, Kabuto?" he asked, gripping him through the fabric and tugging softly. "I asked you a question."

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru. I am yours."

The snake sennin laughed and roughly pulled the boy forward by his hair.

"I'm going to make sure you don't forget that," he purred.

He undid the sash of his robe, letting it slide open. Kabuto's face was flushed in pleasure and Orochimaru had to remind himself that this was still a battle for control. It would be far too lenient to simply take him right here on the floor of his lab. He rose to his feet, leaving Kabuto prone on his back, a look of longing on his face.

"Oh, Kabuto," he said, mockingly. "Have you no shame?"

"I'm sorry, Lord Orochimaru," the medic replied.

He scrambled to his knees in a low bow.

"If you enjoy kneeling before me so much, Kabuto, I can find a use for it rather quickly..."

"If that is what you wish of me, Lord Orochimaru."

The snake sennin glared at him coldly. This had to be another one of his little acts. That was the whole problem with Kabuto...he was so wretchedly wonderful at pretending he was something that he wasn't that Orochimaru could never distinguish what was truth and what was carefully controled lying on the medic's part. He knew very well that it was a survival mechanism he had perfected over the years, but it still served to frustrate him to no end.

"Hmmmm, I think it's really more a question of what exactly it is that _you_ want, Kabuto."

Not that the idea of violating his servant in such a manner wasn't horribly tempting. He'd done it before on many occasions and had found it more than enjoyable.

"I only want to please you, Lord Orochimaru."

Oh yes. He always had the proper response. Orochimaru was finding it difficult to hide the fact that every action, every word, every glance from Kabuto was affecting his libido in ways he hadn't thought possible.

He grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him to his feet, staring intensely into the other's eyes. Holding him in a hypnotic gaze.

"_Why_ do you want that, Kabuto?" he asked.

The younger man was looking back at him with a fierce conviction. If what he was about to say was a bold-faced lie than Orochimaru figured the boy deserved to think he was superior to the sennin because there didn't seem to be a hint of dishonesty in those hazel eyes. His statement was casual and matter-of-fact.

"Because I love you."

Orochimaru regarded him with open disbelief. Others had said those words to him before. It had meant very little to him. Love was a pithy, disgusting emotion that often lead to the ruin of the strongest of people-go ask Jiraiya. He had truly thought Kabuto above such trivialities. Had he substituted the word for "adore" or "worship" he wouldn't have had such a time trying to wrap his mind around it. After all, Kimimaro had often used such vocabulary to describe his loyalty towards him.

"You're a fool, Kabuto."

But it didn't stop him from wrapping his arms around the boy to pull him into a tight embrace. He gently tilted Kabuto's chin and kissed into his most eager and receptive mouth. He wasn't about to admit that he had been longing for that sweetly addictive body to be pressed against his again. It was surprisingly comforting. The effect the medic had on him was undeniable but he wasn't about to describe it as love. Not yet.

He gently removed the boy's glasses and placed them on the desk. Orochimaru half suspected that the boy only wore them to make himself appear more vulnerable. To throw everyone off-guard. If they were merely a theatrical prop they certainly worked. The sennin slowly removed the elastic holding back Kabuto's long hair, causing waves of silver to cascade down the boy's shoulders. He was beautiful. Why the hell hadn't he noticed it before?

"Lord Orochimaru?" Kabuto asked. "Do you prefer to see me this way?"

"Oh do just shut up, Kabuto," the sennin replied. Whatever malice he had tried to conjure came out flat. "You have the most annoying habit of saying exactly what I need to hear."

Not necessarily what he_ wanted _to hear, he thought bitterly. He felt far more weak then he ever had during his entire ordeal with The Fourth's jutsu. It wasn't a sensation he was used to. And it was definitely not one he enjoyed. Kabuto was far more evil than he had given him credit for. The compliant and ardent gaze looking back at him was beginning to vex him. He wasn't going to lose this game to the younger man.

"_Why_ do you love me, Kabuto?"

For once, the boy didn't seem to have an answer.

"You can speak, Kabuto," Orochimaru said, laughing softly.

"I'm afraid I don't have a proper reply for you," the medic answered. "I just...love you."

Interesting. Kabuto always came up with perfectly logical and intelligent answers. That hadn't been clever or rational in the slightest. He appeared every bit as confused as the sennin himself.

"You really are full of surprises," Orochimaru said. "And you are far more twisted than I originally thought."

"Perhaps," the medic answered, smiling wryly. "But that still doesn't really change the situation does it?"

"No I suppose not."

Orochimaru lifted Kabuto onto one of the cots the medic used for his test subjects. It was fitting, the sennin decided, since their whole relationship was one very fascinating and prolonged experiment. He strapped Kabuto's arms into the restraints normally reserved for less compliant victims, laughing at the shock that registered across his face.

"Oh come now, Kabuto," he purred. "You didn't really think I'd let you have your way so easily, did you?"

"Of course not, Lord Orochimaru."

The snake lord stroked the boy's hair softly.

"Do you know what I think, Kabuto. I think you sent Kimimaro to his death because you were jealous of him."

"Why would I have been? He was only a failed attempt at a vessel. I had no bitterness towards him."

"Oh? I think it's the reason you holed yourself up in here so often. Keeping an eye on him. Did it torture you, Kabuto? Did you wonder if I had touched his soft skin the same way I touch yours? Were you afraid that he may have been pleasuring me better than you?"

Kabuto winced.

"It's not my place to question such things. I was merely cutting away dead wood. Kimimaro was wasting our valuable time by requiring so much of my medical attention. I could have been working on more important tasks for you."

He managed a shrug as best he could under the circumstances.

"That is my job, is it not, Lord Orochimaru?"

"You're getting awfully smart with me," the snake lord said. "I think I may have touched a nerve."

The arrogant facade was failing. Kabuto was a pitiful looking mess, his eyes starting to water with tears of anger. Orochimaru could tell he'd finally discovered his one weakness. That that one weakness was the sennin himself only heightened his desire.

"Oh, Kabuto," he said, running his long fingers across the medic's chest. "You are so selfish. Wanting me all to yourself..."

The younger man was surprisingly silent. Whatever dignity he could have salvaged was long lost. Orochimaru felt a sudden twinge of sorrow for him. He had expected battering down his servant's defenses would have been more fun than this.

He planted his mouth on Kabuto's, surprised at the ferocity with which the boy kissed him back. He pulled away to catch his breath.

"Hmm, Kabuto," Orochimaru purred, crawling on top of him. "Perhaps I can add this to the list of other duties that you alone perform for me."

He smirked coyly, dragging his long tongue down his captive's quivering body.

"That is if you're up to the task."

Kabuto's eyes widened slightly as he let his lord's words register.

"Of...of course, Lord Orochimaru," he stammered.

"Good."

He loosened the straps holding the boy down and laughed.

"You know, Kabuto, I wouldn't have had to resort to these tactics if you had just told me the truth from the start."

"I...I'm sorry, Lord Orochimaru."

"Not as sorry as you're going to be. You already know my appetite is insatiable and you, my dear Kabuto, are delicious."

The usual sly smile crept back onto the medic's face.

"I'll do my best to keep you satisfied, my lord."

"I'll have to trust you with that."


	2. Chemistry

Kabuto had always been a natural actor. Without a home, without any real family, without friends. He had learned in his youth to be exactly what the situation called for him to be. There had been no purpose to his existence in the early days of his life. Not until Orochimaru had entered the scene. In him, he had discovered the acceptance, the motivation, the inspiration he had been lacking.

Despite this, however, Kabuto also knew that in order to keep the snake lord placated he had to keep himself useful. If there was one thing that Orochimaru didn't tolerate it was those who had become obsolete to him. So for him, he had become everything the sennin needed. His spy; it was the most suitable job for him. His medic; it had been his area of expertise. His bodyguard; for who knew his lord's limits better than he? His companion; because if there was anyone who truly understood him it was Kabuto. If the sennin wanted him to be his personal whore too, so much the better; because there was nothing more addictive than sex with Orochimaru.

Kabuto had always believed that love was merely a chemical reaction in the brain. Nature's way of ensuring the continuation of the species. Viewing the world with cold detatchment was always safest, he knew. Being with Orochimaru had slightly altered that perspective. He found himself craving the other man's attention, his touch, his very presence. Admitting that to him hadn't been as difficult as he had once imagined. It was only a fact and nothing more.

As he trailed up soft white thigh, he hungrily planted kisses. This was the first time Orochimaru had ever allowed him into his personal bed chambers and he recognized the significance of it. Orochimaru's defenses were breaking down. Kabuto's grand scheme was all going as according to plan. If he couldn't make Orochimaru love him, at the very least, he would make sure that the sennin would never want another.

Tongue darting playfully across the most sensitive of flesh, he could hear Orochimaru moaning softly. He took him into his mouth, working his way down at a languid pace. Making sure every inch was attended to. He cast an upward glance, knowing that those golden eyes would be watching his every move. To his surprise, Orochimaru had his head thrown back. Eyes closed. Mouth open as he made small gasps of pleasure. Uncharacteristically giving in to the experience rather than dominating it.

Kabuto slid a hand down to Orochimaru's smooth ass, massaging gently. The fact that he wasn't met with a harsh swat or reprimand was a little shocking, but then it only served to instill his belief that tonight, perhaps his lord wanted something a little bit different from him. He entered him with one finger, probing. Orochimaru made no protest, instead letting out a small whimper of delight. Kabuto added another finger, releasing him from between his lips.

"Yes... Kabuto..."

It was the closest to permission he was going to get. And it wasn't going to take much convincing for Kabuto to grant his wishes. He always knew what Orochimaru needed without it being said out loud.

He lifted a smooth leg, licking the tender skin between the sennin's toes. Writhing beneath him, Orochimaru looked splendid. Long black hair splayed across the pillows, body arched in desperation to be filled with something more. Kabuto withdrew his fingers and entered him fully.

In the flicker of lamplight, Orochimaru seemed ethereal. Something both unholy and divine. A delicate mixture of cold beauty and animalistic ferocity. And he was all Kabuto's.

The medic steadied himself, finding the proper rhythm. Two hearts, two minds, two bodies; distinct and separate but complimenting the other. A passionate dance where the notions of control and superiority blurred and melted into simple desire. Both slaves to the melody of entwined limbs and unspoken longings.

Lost together and surrendering to the moment, until the only sound was that of hot, white silence.


	3. Equations

Orochimaru had grown accustomed to sleeping alone. In the early morning hours, he was finding it strange, almost surreal, to have Kabuto's warm body pressing up against his own. The boy had rolled over to embrace him at some point in the night and he'd woken to the sound of his light breathing. If it hadn't been for the fact that Kabuto had done this in his sleep, he might have been tempted to push him away. He certainly hadn't invited this intimacy.

Yet, there was a serenity about Kabuto that seemed to affect his own mood.

He coiled his fingers around silver locks, stroking the medic's head softly. Oh, he knew Kabuto was anything but innocent, but asleep, he sure looked it. Even more so than when he was pretending it. Orochimaru was still surprised with the amount of tenderness that had been exhibited the night prior and he realized that Kabuto was still an enigma to him.

But that didn't matter.

Orochimaru felt safe with letting him see his vulnerable side. He cast a sad gaze down at the boy. It was still beyond Orochimaru why Kabuto would love a monster such as he. Another one of his delightful mysteries.

Delicate eyelashes fluttered across his chest and he felt an overwhelming urge to press him closer.

"You're beautiful," he murmured.

As he pet Kabuto's cheek, he heard a soft sigh of contentment.

"Kabuto, are you awake?"

No response. Orochimaru chuckled to himself. Kabuto was absolutely endearing. And he wondered if the medic had the slightest inkling of the effect he had over him. For all the time he had known him, Orochimaru had assumed that he was the strong one; the protector, the master, the saviour.

Yet it was Kabuto who had gotten him through the nightmare agony after his battle with The Third. Never once asking for anything in return, not even gratitude. For reasons that belonged only to him. He was amazing at keeping himself a secret. It only made Orochimaru respect him all the more.

Kabuto's love was entirely different than the blind need the other's had. Yes, Kabuto needed him, of that much he was sure, but it was not because he was so blind as to view him as a god. If he did, then he must also believe that gods could bleed. This was different..._he_ was different. They were dependent on each other and he had taken the time to subtly show this to Orochimaru over the years. The snake lord had thought both of them to be devoid of the need for another. Until now.

Perhaps Kabuto, despite his youth, was far wiser than himself. He possessed an uncanny understanding far beyond his years. And while he knew the scant details of Kabuto's past, he had never bothered to delve much further. Whatever had made him into the person he was now was done and over with. Orochimaru was always more interested in what the future held.

All he cared about at this moment in time, was that Kabuto was with him. This peace was unlike anything he had felt. While he could never say it aloud, he was grateful that the boy had come into his life. He wouldn't have been even half of what he was without him. This belonging. What both had sought in vain for so long.

Orochimaru fought back bitter tears. In the silence, he knew he was surrendering his heart to the young man he held in his arms. The great Snake Lord, the third of the Legendary Sennin, the proud founder of the Sound Village, the demon traitor...had a heart after all.

"I love you too, Kabuto," he whispered.

If his words had been heard, Kabuto gave no signal other than to remain where he lay.

**Author's Note: Yes the last 2 chapters are much shorter than the first. You can take each as three separate stories as you wish, a sort of trilogy. I thought it was fitting to break them into different chapters due to the change of perspectives and moods.**


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